Press Release

Napa Valley Took New York

100 Napa Valley Vintners Wined and Dined the Big Apple with 35 events in 4 days

3/19/2009 - St Helena, CA - Last week, from March 9-12, vintners from 100 Napa Valley wineries flew east to New York to showcase America's premier wine region in "Taste Napa Valley: New York" - a series of 35 consumer, trade, and private events, all featuring Napa Valley wines. Sponsored by the Napa Valley Vintners (NVV), the non-profit trade association, the events included tastings (large and small), wine dinners, seminars, and wine-themed charitable fundraisers to market the Napa Valley appellation to Napa Valley's most important wine market outside of California. Market research continues to show that wine is best sold via direct experience.

Among the highlights of the New York tour were: a trade tasting at the Metropolitan Pavilion that drew nearly 700 industry professionals from around the Tri-State Area; a series of cheese-and-Napa-wine-pairing classes at Artisanal Premium Cheese; and fundraisers for theater group Elevator Repair Service, held at festive Lucky Strike Lanes, and; non-profit organization Room to Grow ,with 32 Napa wineries pouring in the elegant Hosfelt Gallery supported by Wine Spectator.

Over the course of the four days, East Coast wine lovers sampled hundreds of different wines at events held everywhere from restaurants (The Oak Room, Tribeca Grill, Maloney & Porcelli, Fleming's Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar, Craft, Gramercy Tavern) and department stores (Saks Fifth Avenue) to haute couture boutiques (CHANEL) and landmark hotels (The Plaza). Wine retailers Sherry-Lehman and Morrell & Company offered grand tastings and seminars, as did the International Wine Center. All told, there were 35 dinners, tastings, and trade-and-media events in the metro area raising awareness of the appellation and the wines from Napa Valley to key audiences in and around New York City.

Vintners hosted a tasting in northern New Jersey for more than 300 wine retailers and restaurateurs and partnered with Gary Fisch of Gary's Wine and Marketplace bringing 70 vintners to the annual "Taste of Madison" held at Fairleigh Dickenson University.

Napa Valley was also on the move within the city last week: over two million New Yorkers and visitors watched images of Napa Valley's beautiful vineyards on NY 10 TaxiTV as they rode in NYC taxicabs; and two "Napa Valley Loves New York" pedi-cabs traveled all around Manhattan carrying enormous 27 liter bottles of Napa Valley Cabernet as tourists and locals alike stopped for the photo opportunity. Intrepid vintners from some of Napa's most renowned wineries brushed off the early morning chill, and the three-hour time difference, and headed to the Today Show at 7:00 am on March 10 to chat with Al Roker and show off one of those giant bottles. The Wall Street Journal's headline read "Napa-hattan" in reference to the vintners' presence in the market.

This multi-day market visit was the NVV's second in New York in two years. Napa Valley produces a mere 4% of California's wine, but Napa more than made up for its relatively small production volume by coming out to NYC with a whopping 100 vintners, nearly one-fourth of all of the region's winemakers. "Napa winemakers love the energy of the Big Apple and appreciate New Yorkers' passion for food and wine," said NVV executive director Linda Reiff. "When we came to New York in 2007, we had 75 vintners in tow; this year, despite the economy, even more wineries were excited to join us, and even more consumers, retailers and restaurateurs came to our events."

For more information about "Taste Napa Valley: New York," or to arrange an interview with a winemaker who participated, contact:

About the NVV
Celebrating our 65th anniversary in 2009, the Napa Valley Vintners (NVV) non-profit trade association is the sole organization responsible for promoting, protecting and enhancing the Napa Valley appellation as a leading winegrowing region. Respect for our history reinforces our commitment to the preservation and enhancement of the Valley's land, wine and community for future generations. We address the shared interests of nearly 350 member wineries. Visit us online at www.napavintners.com.